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A Place Called Sorry
Growing up in the 1930s, Adeline Beale knows little of the outside world or the looming shadows of a second world war. Addie-as her grandfather Chauncey Beynon Beale affectionately calls her- believes that everything she could ever want or need is to be found on his cattle ranch, the place her family calls home, or in the little town twelve bush miles away, a place called Sorry.
After tragedy strikes her family, Addie holds her sorrows close to her heart. Only later will she learn that her grandfather too has lived with his own secret torment for more than seventy years. It will take his slipping into blindness and dementia before the dark spectre from his past emerges, leaving her the one responsible for its consequences. And when that day arrives, when Chauncey Beale's past intersects with Addie's present, it will change her future in ways that she, and those she loves, could never have imagined.
After tragedy strikes her family, Addie holds her sorrows close to her heart. Only later will she learn that her grandfather too has lived with his own secret torment for more than seventy years. It will take his slipping into blindness and dementia before the dark spectre from his past emerges, leaving her the one responsible for its consequences. And when that day arrives, when Chauncey Beale's past intersects with Addie's present, it will change her future in ways that she, and those she loves, could never have imagined.
264 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2015
2 people are currently reading
742 people want to read
About the author
Donna Milner
5 books54 followersDonna Jonas Milner, who has been referred to as the, 'Oh, so Canadian author,' was born in Victoria British Columbia and grew up in South Vancouver. As a young woman she relocated to a small town in the West Kootenays where she married and started a family. In 1972 she settled in the central interior of British Columbia and has resided there since. It wasn't until after she had raised four children and retired from a 25 year career in Real Estate that she pursued her secret passion for writing. Her creative non-fiction articles have been published in local periodicals, Reader's Digest, and the anthology Brothers, Borders and Babylon.
Her debut novel AFTER RIVER, was picked out of the slush pile at Gregory & Co Agency, and subsequently sold and published in twelve countries. It has been translated into six different languages, and made into an audio book.
Milner makes no apologies for using the British Columbia locations where she has lived as inspiration for the settings of her novels. It is no secret that the town of Rossland where she resided for seven years, was the prototype for the border town of Atwood in AFTER RIVER, and in her new novel, THE PROMISE OF RAIN, her childhood home in a Fraserview subdivision of 'wartime houses' served as the backdrop for the Vancouver scenes.
Milner and her husband now live north of Williams Lake, off the grid in an eco friendly timber frame home. And of course, she admits, she is using a similar isolated setting on a pristine lake as the location of her third novel, which she is currently at work on.
Her debut novel AFTER RIVER, was picked out of the slush pile at Gregory & Co Agency, and subsequently sold and published in twelve countries. It has been translated into six different languages, and made into an audio book.
Milner makes no apologies for using the British Columbia locations where she has lived as inspiration for the settings of her novels. It is no secret that the town of Rossland where she resided for seven years, was the prototype for the border town of Atwood in AFTER RIVER, and in her new novel, THE PROMISE OF RAIN, her childhood home in a Fraserview subdivision of 'wartime houses' served as the backdrop for the Vancouver scenes.
Milner and her husband now live north of Williams Lake, off the grid in an eco friendly timber frame home. And of course, she admits, she is using a similar isolated setting on a pristine lake as the location of her third novel, which she is currently at work on.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 30, 2016
Was transfixed by this story and hung on every word. Sad to see it's done and left with a serious book hangover.
January 12, 2023
I enjoyed this considerably more than the first one I read by this author. She gets the flowery overwriting out of her system early and the story reads much more naturally after that. I appreciated this very timely view of some serious issues in the news here in Canada, and loved the Indigenous characters. However, Grandfather’s early diary entries - purportedly written at the age of 15 - are overly embellished and read as if he’d been writing a fictional story, so they came across to me as somewhat inauthentic. Like the other book I’ve read by this author, however I totally appreciate the Canadian history and geography and have tacked on an extra star.
October 30, 2015
This is a must read for anyone who enjoys Canadian history.
It’s a brilliant story that tells about the little known Chilcotin War in the late nineteenth century.
A Place Called Sorry takes place on a Cariboo ranch during the depression era, when Addie discovers a journal written by her grandfather, detailing the decades-old events leading up to the massacre of 14 road workers, and an implicit declaration of war against the Crown by the local nations.
All by itself, the story is well worth reading, but even more so because it places the reader squarely in the middle of the Chilcotin, up the Holmathko River, at the turn of the century, only years after the Chilcotin nations have been decimated by Smallpox. The winters have been rough and the local nations face starvation.
This is when Alfred Waddington begins to bust a road to the Barkerville gold fields. It would take him through the Pacific Coast Mountains up over Chilcotin Plateau, riding roughshod over the natives who come looking for work or food. Relations with the Chilcotin people were strained at best, abusive at worst, and Milner tells a story of how the tension drew out like blade until one day, it broke like a snapped chain.
By itself, that's a good enough story, but Milner doesn't stop there. She drops layers over top: the complicated relationship between Addie and Alan, a fellow native student who comes to work on their farm, the relationship between Addie and her grandfather, the race to hear grandfather tell his story before his mind fully dissolves into old age, the thread of a mother who abandoned Addie and her father years ago.
All of this woven into a tapestry. I think this is her best story, even better than her international best seller, After River.
You will not be Sorry that you read it.
It’s a brilliant story that tells about the little known Chilcotin War in the late nineteenth century.
A Place Called Sorry takes place on a Cariboo ranch during the depression era, when Addie discovers a journal written by her grandfather, detailing the decades-old events leading up to the massacre of 14 road workers, and an implicit declaration of war against the Crown by the local nations.
All by itself, the story is well worth reading, but even more so because it places the reader squarely in the middle of the Chilcotin, up the Holmathko River, at the turn of the century, only years after the Chilcotin nations have been decimated by Smallpox. The winters have been rough and the local nations face starvation.
This is when Alfred Waddington begins to bust a road to the Barkerville gold fields. It would take him through the Pacific Coast Mountains up over Chilcotin Plateau, riding roughshod over the natives who come looking for work or food. Relations with the Chilcotin people were strained at best, abusive at worst, and Milner tells a story of how the tension drew out like blade until one day, it broke like a snapped chain.
By itself, that's a good enough story, but Milner doesn't stop there. She drops layers over top: the complicated relationship between Addie and Alan, a fellow native student who comes to work on their farm, the relationship between Addie and her grandfather, the race to hear grandfather tell his story before his mind fully dissolves into old age, the thread of a mother who abandoned Addie and her father years ago.
All of this woven into a tapestry. I think this is her best story, even better than her international best seller, After River.
You will not be Sorry that you read it.
October 20, 2021
Wish I could give it more than 5 stars!
October 26, 2015
I read Donna Milner's debut novel, After River, back in 2008. In re-reading my review, I see that I described Milner's writing as "quite simply, beautiful."
Her newest book, A Place Called Sorry, has just released - and Milner's writing has only gotten better.
1930's British Columbia. Young Addie Beale makes her home on a cattle ranch in the bush in British Columbia. Sorry is " a scanty little settlement located twelve hard bush miles from our ranch....the place where a number of side roads, not much more than widened paths, converged onto the trail that once led to the Cariboo goldfields."
Addie loves the land as much as her grandfather and father. Her grandfather has only ever hinted at the life he led before the ranch. As age creeps up on him, he slowly begins to reveal his secrets to Addie as she reads him the journals he wrote as a boy. Milner employs a then and now narrative that moves the story forward until past and present intersect. I quite enjoy this story within a story style.
I loved Milner's characters - I became so invested in them and their lives. The gentle wisdom of Addie's father and grandfather, the interactions between the three, the burgeoning friendship between Alan and Addie, hurt and heartache and joy. There is one exception - Mrs. Parsons the malicious, vitriolic schoolteacher. I simply wanted to rip her from the pages and throttle her.
It took me over a week to read A Place Called Sorry. Why? Because I became so emotionally involved in the book - I was so angry at the prejudice and so saddened at the injustice and treatment of the First Nations people. I became completely caught up in both the past and the present lives of Chauncey and Addie and found myself many times with tears running down my face. I was so tempted to flip ahead to the last pages and assure myself of the ending. But instead, I put the book down and walked away, returning to unfold the story as Milner wrote it. The ending? Couldn't have been better. "Loving someone does not require their presence in your life. Sometimes forgiveness is simply remembering that love."
Milner herself makes her home in British Columbia. Her descriptions of the land painted vivid mental images for me. Her exploration of the past was simply outstanding, blending fact and fiction together. "We're the newcomers here. There's something to be said about our European arrogance of believing it's our God-given right to go wherever and however we please. "The Chilcotin War was real - and the reverberations have echoed across the decades. The B.C. government only last year apologized to the Tsilhqot’in people.
Readers will know of my love for book covers - this one is absolutely perfect for the story. As is the book itself - A Place Called Sorry was a five star read for me - absolutely recommended!
Her newest book, A Place Called Sorry, has just released - and Milner's writing has only gotten better.
1930's British Columbia. Young Addie Beale makes her home on a cattle ranch in the bush in British Columbia. Sorry is " a scanty little settlement located twelve hard bush miles from our ranch....the place where a number of side roads, not much more than widened paths, converged onto the trail that once led to the Cariboo goldfields."
Addie loves the land as much as her grandfather and father. Her grandfather has only ever hinted at the life he led before the ranch. As age creeps up on him, he slowly begins to reveal his secrets to Addie as she reads him the journals he wrote as a boy. Milner employs a then and now narrative that moves the story forward until past and present intersect. I quite enjoy this story within a story style.
I loved Milner's characters - I became so invested in them and their lives. The gentle wisdom of Addie's father and grandfather, the interactions between the three, the burgeoning friendship between Alan and Addie, hurt and heartache and joy. There is one exception - Mrs. Parsons the malicious, vitriolic schoolteacher. I simply wanted to rip her from the pages and throttle her.
It took me over a week to read A Place Called Sorry. Why? Because I became so emotionally involved in the book - I was so angry at the prejudice and so saddened at the injustice and treatment of the First Nations people. I became completely caught up in both the past and the present lives of Chauncey and Addie and found myself many times with tears running down my face. I was so tempted to flip ahead to the last pages and assure myself of the ending. But instead, I put the book down and walked away, returning to unfold the story as Milner wrote it. The ending? Couldn't have been better. "Loving someone does not require their presence in your life. Sometimes forgiveness is simply remembering that love."
Milner herself makes her home in British Columbia. Her descriptions of the land painted vivid mental images for me. Her exploration of the past was simply outstanding, blending fact and fiction together. "We're the newcomers here. There's something to be said about our European arrogance of believing it's our God-given right to go wherever and however we please. "The Chilcotin War was real - and the reverberations have echoed across the decades. The B.C. government only last year apologized to the Tsilhqot’in people.
Readers will know of my love for book covers - this one is absolutely perfect for the story. As is the book itself - A Place Called Sorry was a five star read for me - absolutely recommended!
January 4, 2016
Donna Milner's books just keep getting better. It's hard to find enough praise for her perfect combination of history and fiction in the wild ranch lands of BC's Chilcotin Plateau.
The main character, Addie Beale, grows up on a ranch with her father and grandfather, her mother having abandoned the family years ago. Addie becomes deeply attached to a young Indian boy in her class at school. Their lives are made miserable by a despicable school teacher, who hates them both for different reasons. We follow Addie and Alan through childhood to adulthood as they struggle to make sense of their lives. Meanwhile, the adults around them face their own problems and pains.
Running parallel to that story, we have a historical recounting of the Chilcotin Massacre of 1864 and it's terrible aftermath. Addie's grandfather was there and witnessed the events from start to finish. This was a real eye-opener for me, as I finally understood what it was about.
There is a majesty to this part of Canada that constantly astonishes me. What a treat to have the author describe it so well, and incorporate it into the plot so seamlessly. The land becomes like a character in the book.
The main character, Addie Beale, grows up on a ranch with her father and grandfather, her mother having abandoned the family years ago. Addie becomes deeply attached to a young Indian boy in her class at school. Their lives are made miserable by a despicable school teacher, who hates them both for different reasons. We follow Addie and Alan through childhood to adulthood as they struggle to make sense of their lives. Meanwhile, the adults around them face their own problems and pains.
Running parallel to that story, we have a historical recounting of the Chilcotin Massacre of 1864 and it's terrible aftermath. Addie's grandfather was there and witnessed the events from start to finish. This was a real eye-opener for me, as I finally understood what it was about.
There is a majesty to this part of Canada that constantly astonishes me. What a treat to have the author describe it so well, and incorporate it into the plot so seamlessly. The land becomes like a character in the book.
February 28, 2019
Guys, if this book were oatmeal it’s the kind with nothing in it. Boring. Know what happens in this book? A whole lotta narrative that goes absolutely. nowhere.
March 23, 2017
This is a great novel - interesting, heartwarming and, also, heartbreaking. The story is well structured, the writing wonderful and the relationships, for the most part, quite convincing. I only have a few small gripes that keep me from giving this book the coveted 5 stars. First, the author's use of foreshadowing. In my opinion - a little overdone. Second, Addie's father is just a bit too perfect. (Although I do feel bad saying this, as he was such a great Dad). And finally, while I am aware that I am a little hard on authors' endings, I'm marginally unhappy with this one. All in all, however, I enjoyed the book thoroughly, had trouble putting it down and will search out more books by this author.
March 18, 2025
4.5
I loved the way Donna Milner told a story that involves family, secrets, and historical events that happened in BC. Canada involving the white man's rush for gold and the greed surrounding their plans to build roads though the mountains, to the detriment of the indigenous peoples living in that area.
But also a story told of ww2 and how it affected families and communities. Addie, is a young girl, who goes through many misfortunes on her father and grandfather's ranch just outside of a town called Sorry, near Quesnel BC, comes to realize her grandfather carries in his journals and in his heart a deep secret that eventually comes to light.
This is a tale of forgiveness, of struggle and told so very well.
I loved the way Donna Milner told a story that involves family, secrets, and historical events that happened in BC. Canada involving the white man's rush for gold and the greed surrounding their plans to build roads though the mountains, to the detriment of the indigenous peoples living in that area.
But also a story told of ww2 and how it affected families and communities. Addie, is a young girl, who goes through many misfortunes on her father and grandfather's ranch just outside of a town called Sorry, near Quesnel BC, comes to realize her grandfather carries in his journals and in his heart a deep secret that eventually comes to light.
This is a tale of forgiveness, of struggle and told so very well.
January 11, 2019
Really interesting book that I enjoyed especially because it focuses on BC history. There are two storylines - one that takes place in 1864/65 and one in the 1930s and 40s. I liked it a lot except Also it's a bit like a soap opera, especially how they . Overall, recommended if you like Canadian history and especially BC history.
This book wins the "Drabbest Cover But Actually Good Story" award. I read it for Book Club and we were all like ... uh ... when we saw it, but all of us liked it!
This book wins the "Drabbest Cover But Actually Good Story" award. I read it for Book Club and we were all like ... uh ... when we saw it, but all of us liked it!
September 25, 2019
4.5 stars if that was an option. Superb Canadiana at it’s best. A very real main character Addie who grows up on a ranch in the Chilcotin - a girl with her share of family heartache and small town racial trouble.
Running parallel to that story, is a historical recounting of the Chilcotin Massacre of 1864 and it's terrible aftermath. Addie's grandfather was there and witnessed the events from start to finish.
Any story that includes Judge Begbie and the gold rush, is a huge winner. Highly recommend.
Running parallel to that story, is a historical recounting of the Chilcotin Massacre of 1864 and it's terrible aftermath. Addie's grandfather was there and witnessed the events from start to finish.
Any story that includes Judge Begbie and the gold rush, is a huge winner. Highly recommend.
May 17, 2021
Read for book club.
This novel has dual storylines; the present-day of the 1930s-1950, and the journal entries and memories of the protagonist's grandfather from 1864. It took me half the book to realize that the 1864 events actually happened. This was well-written, apart from the over-frequent use of lines such as '...a decision I would come to regret', and I found it moving and emotionally truthful.
This novel has dual storylines; the present-day of the 1930s-1950, and the journal entries and memories of the protagonist's grandfather from 1864. It took me half the book to realize that the 1864 events actually happened. This was well-written, apart from the over-frequent use of lines such as '...a decision I would come to regret', and I found it moving and emotionally truthful.
April 4, 2020
An enjoyable read, but heart-wrenching at times. Some historic events seems so... unbelievable (for lack of a better word)... but an interesting look at the characters intertwining lives.
I quite enjoyed that the setting was in northern BC, and it's neat to be able to picture these places that are so close!
I quite enjoyed that the setting was in northern BC, and it's neat to be able to picture these places that are so close!
February 6, 2019
I enjoyed this novel set in rural Western Canada in the 1930s. Addie is the main character, being raised by her father & grandfather. Through her grandfather's journals she learns things about the history of the area in addition to secrets about his past.
December 25, 2020
When I came across this book, I thought it was a true story. So let me begin by saying...it is not. However, it is written as if it certainly could be. It has been a while since I’ve enjoyed reading a book as much as I enjoyed this one. I will definitely be reading more of this authors work.
did-not-finish
September 11, 2023DNF @ 26%. I really wanted to continue reading this book because I enjoyed another book I read by Milner years ago (After River) but I just can’t deal with the pace. I don’t mind slow burns but I just can’t get past feeling bored whenever I attempt to read it.
November 27, 2018
Amazing read!
January 10, 2020
I would love to give this book more than 5 stars. A must read for anyone, especially Canadians.
March 20, 2021
Donna Milner does it again. I have read three of her books and they are all masterpieces!
April 4, 2022
This author knows how to weave two timelines seamlessly. Excellent story. Loved the history lesson.
July 19, 2022
A good adventure story!
August 26, 2023
This is a wonderful book! I cried, laughed, got angry and cheered! It's well worth your time to read it. Very well written and outstanding story.
Want to read
October 6, 2025Elissa reco
April 12, 2016
I've been hooked on Donna Milner's writing since she released her first novel. Having lived near the area she writes about, I was especially caught up in A Place Called Sorry. Milner pulls together strands that weave a picture of British Columbia's Chilcotin region. A family's struggles are framed by two shattering events, the Chilcotin War of 1864 and the larger conflict of World War II.
As Chauncey Beale sinks into the fog of dementia and failing eyesight, he has his granddaughter Adelaide (Addie) Beale re-read his journal to him. Through those pages, we gradually learn of the horrifying events that have haunted Chauncey in the decades since the Chilcotin War. At the same time, the racism and cultural clashes that led to that conflict still hang over the Chilcotin of the 1930s. Both Addie and her best friend, whose ancestry makes him the butt of the school teacher's disdain, suffer from the narrow-minded attitudes, but their story is one of resilience as well as tragedy.
Thanks to the journal, we have two first-person accounts, Addie's and her grandfather's. Conflicts frame the story, from the clash between First Nations people and settler newcomers in the 1860s through the rising tension that swept nations into World War II. Milner deftly portrays the impacts of both, as they weave through the lives of the country folk who populate this novel.
Milner's sense of place, her eye for detail, and her ability to show how some people are strengthened, while others are torn apart by the same events, is exceptional. Once again, I find myself anticipating her next book.
As Chauncey Beale sinks into the fog of dementia and failing eyesight, he has his granddaughter Adelaide (Addie) Beale re-read his journal to him. Through those pages, we gradually learn of the horrifying events that have haunted Chauncey in the decades since the Chilcotin War. At the same time, the racism and cultural clashes that led to that conflict still hang over the Chilcotin of the 1930s. Both Addie and her best friend, whose ancestry makes him the butt of the school teacher's disdain, suffer from the narrow-minded attitudes, but their story is one of resilience as well as tragedy.
Thanks to the journal, we have two first-person accounts, Addie's and her grandfather's. Conflicts frame the story, from the clash between First Nations people and settler newcomers in the 1860s through the rising tension that swept nations into World War II. Milner deftly portrays the impacts of both, as they weave through the lives of the country folk who populate this novel.
Milner's sense of place, her eye for detail, and her ability to show how some people are strengthened, while others are torn apart by the same events, is exceptional. Once again, I find myself anticipating her next book.
April 8, 2023
What a history lesson and a wonderful story. Loved and couldn't put it down.
January 1, 2016
Another winner by this author! Adeline Beale is a young girl in the 1930's living on a ranch in the central B.C., with her grandfather and her parents. She is particularly close to her grandfather and father. After a tragedy strikes the family, she is devastated. She finds a friend in a young native boy, Alan. Their teacher constantly makes rude comments to him but Adeline finds she shares comfort in their friendship. As her grandfather's eyesight and mental status deteriorate, he asks Adeline to read his journals to him each evening. She discovers part of his past he has never shared with his son. As Adeline continues to read his journals, we learn a bit of history involving the early settlement of B.C.
May 14, 2016
This is a wonderfully tender book about life on a ranch during the 1930's. Addie, a young girl, at the beginning of the story undergoes immense hardship and grief and through this grows up to be a gentle, determined spirit. Throughout her living she never loses faith in others.Such a beautifully told story of triumph through adversity. I loved this book and my thanks goes out to Goodreads Giveaways for this terrific book.
December 28, 2015
4.5 stars. Although I thought "After River" was written very well, I disliked it because I disliked the main character so much. She irritatingly wasted her life with regret. "A Place Called Sorry" was written equally as well but the main character--and almost all the characters were the exact opposite. Although there were regrets, everyone was strong and able to move past them. It was a great book. I had to take a break in the middle as I found that section a tough read.
June 15, 2016
Novel set in 1930 in a crossroads called Sorry in Chilcotin.
Characters well developed and all very likeable except the racist school teacher. Is a story of family closeness, racism, and our First Nations people.
Author blended fact and fiction well. The Canadian government apologized in 2014 to the Tsilgot'in peoples.
Characters well developed and all very likeable except the racist school teacher. Is a story of family closeness, racism, and our First Nations people.
Author blended fact and fiction well. The Canadian government apologized in 2014 to the Tsilgot'in peoples.
July 30, 2016
What a great read. I could hardly put it down to do anything else. Good thing I was out camping and there was not much else to do but read and enjoy myself!!
Loved the writing style, the cliff-hanging ending and it was historical fiction. I am looking forward to reading others of hers soon!!
Loved the writing style, the cliff-hanging ending and it was historical fiction. I am looking forward to reading others of hers soon!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews